I'm thinking about getting a slide with fixed sights for a Colt Gold Cup National Match and I'm looking at all the sight possibilities.What do you like or what would your recommendation be for fixed pistol sights? I've heard some good things about brass bead front sights and I just wonder if they are better than white dots. And if you're recommending night sights, then please say which ones and why.

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

Am I reading you correctly in that you're thinking about a Gold Cup Nat Match Colt as a carry weapon??

I prefer 3-dot night sights ... ones that basically look white in the day and glow in low-light conditions. I also prefer low-profile sights. And durable ones, made out of metal. I don't really have a preference on brand, though Trijicons are good, and Tru-glo are known to be less than durable.

"It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place."Lewis Carroll, 1872

MAKE SURE your rear sight is NOT a "No-Snag" or "Low Profile" sight as it will make 1-handed work (where you rack the gun off your belt using the rear sight to "catch" and help with the rack) MUCH more difficult.

Am I reading you correctly in that you're thinking about a Gold Cup Nat Match Colt as a carry weapon??

Yeah.....thinkin' about it......

I've got a GC NM Series 70 that has been altered from factory stock. It's got Pachmayr grips, extended slide release, extended thumb safety, the mag release has been swapped out for a plated one (?). Now PLEASE UNDERSTAND.....It's the way I bought it - as a shooter. So it's collectable resale has been diminished quite a bit.

I'm thinking that a Series 70 Government carry piece - while being quite heavy - would still be pretty cool. It'd be something I wouldn't be carrying all day. But it would need different sights because the target sights aren't easy to acquire in a hurry. Have you had any opportunity to try out a brass bead front sight?

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

What about the XS Big Dot Tritium sights? I'm trying to find somewhere that has some for 1911 - and not having much luck. One person over at 1911 forum says they're the best for old eyes. My link

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

I have a set of XS Tritium Big Dots on my Glock 19 carry gun. I like them for fast target acquisition, but they aren't the thing for precision shooting. I won them in a match so I installed them, but they wouldn't be my first choice. For general all around use, a set of tritium 3-dot night sights like Trijicons or Meprolights are hard to beat.

Its funny because we have similar tastes in a carry gun. My EDC at least for the winter and colder months is going to be my new S&W 1911PD(commander length). Right now it has CT Laser Grips on it and standard "white dot" sights. I personally like night sights so i will be putting on a set sometime in the near future. Will I ever need them? Probably not, but it makes me feel better.

I was curious what people had to say about Trijicons vs Novak night sights. I like the fact that with Novak you can get different color rear sights(Orange or Yellow) as a special order vs the green on green of the Trijicons. That being said; I have had Triji's on two different SIG's and I loved them on both. They might not be quite as bright as a Meprolight but I like the sight picture a little better.

I am interested in the XS sights too. I found myself shooting damn accurate out of the box with a K9 at about 10 yards using the standard "bar and dot" type sight and it looks like XS are the only ones left who make a similar arrangement in a night sight. I think I will try them on a "fun" gun before I try them on a gun that is going to (hopefully, if things go well in the legislature) be protecting my every day for 6-8 months of the year.

Romano for Rep & xmikex: Thanks for the tip on the "make sure they are not 'no snag' sights." I was not aware of such training. I will have to look into it.

To the others on the Xs Sights: I'm going to give them a good, long look.

I've heard that brass bead dots show up well in low light. And Gold even better without the dulling of brass. Anyone have any experience with them?

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.xssights.com.

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

Although not "snag free" this has become my personal favorite rear sight, even above the XS (which I really do like). 10-8 Performance makes them for a standard mil-spec dovetail as well as a similar sight for Novak cuts. The rear uses a wide U shape and the entire sight is very beefy and provides a good picture for me.

They also have a brass bead front sight option. I like gold bead/brass bead sights, but the brass will tarnish over time and become less visible. If you don't plan to polish the bead from time to time it may not be the best choice. Someone out there makes a gold line front sight that looks great and doesn't tarnish (maybe Heirloom Precision?) but it may be pricey.

I'm changing my plans. Rather than change the slide on my Gold Cup, I'm going to save up for something in a Commander size pistol for carry. I've been watching videos on Xs Sights and I like what I see. But I haven't taken a gold dot front sight off the table just yet.

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

Commander-sized 1911's - while maybe more comfortable for carry, tend to have reliability issues you don't see in the full-size guns (which by modern standards tend to be less reliable than more modern designs).

Try out some different CCW holsters for your current 1911 before you buy a commander. You might find one that works well and is comfortable - with a (generally) more reliable full-sized 1911.

Hope this helps,
Mike

"I may disapprove of what arms you bear, but I will defend to the death your right to remain armed." -xmikex

Commander-sized 1911's - while maybe more comfortable for carry, tend to have reliability issues you don't see in the full-size guns (which by modern standards tend to be less reliable than more modern designs).

Try out some different CCW holsters for your current 1911 before you buy a commander. You might find one that works well and is comfortable - with a (generally) more reliable full-sized 1911.

Hope this helps,Mike

Commander-sized 1911's - while maybe more comfortable for carry, tend to have reliability issues you don't see in the full-size guns (which by modern standards tend to be less reliable than more modern designs).

Hmmm. I hadn't heard that before. And when you say "reliability issues", I'm assuming you're speaking of FTF/jamming issues and not breakage where parts fail in the smaller platform pistols. I have heard of reliability issues in the three inch barreled guns. But I believe the 3" Colt Defender is Abolt's everyday carry piece and if it was causing problems - I'm pretty sure it would either be corrected or it would be gone. And I have't heard that has happened yet. Could it be that the Commander problems are just certain guns that need to be tweaked? I'd like to hear more on these relieability issues and what make/model guns they are.

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." — Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

Correct - jamming issues. Though I have seen a commander-sized springfield's plunger tube/pin peel away from the frame and make the gun non-functional on the 2nd day of a 2-day handgun class. -shrug-

The difficult part of concealing a handgun is hiding the grip - not the slide.

Experiment with some GOOD holsters around the house and at the range and see if that works for you before you buy another gun.

I'm a 9mm Glock guy and highly recommend them - but if you're happy with your 1911 and shoot it well, then focus on getting a carry setup that works for your chosen handgun before you go out and spend a good chunk of change on a whole new gun.

Hope this helps - the right holster can make all the difference in the world as far as comfort and concealability.

"I may disapprove of what arms you bear, but I will defend to the death your right to remain armed." -xmikex